Drowning
by Chiisarin
Summary: He only wanted to live.  [Before there was a Nobody, there had been a boy named Dyme.]


"One day, once I get enough money, to build my own gummi ship, I'm going to search for Cloud."

Tifa raises her eyebrow, amusement glittering in her eyes.

"Oh?"

Dyme knows that look. It's a threat, a warning that much Dyme-teasing and bashing will follow with a side of sarcastic comments. He gulps in remembrance, thinking about all the times Tifa had done this to him before. He inches away slowly, wondering if he can get out of it somehow.

"Well...I'd send you money? So you wouldn't have to worry about surviving and stuff and...Aerith could always keep you company?" Each statement he says is a question, a stab at what he hopes is the right thing to say.

His hope dies when he sees her tilt her curiously, the small smile widening ever so slightly.

"...So you'd leave me here?" It's yet another all too familiar mannerism of Tifa, the delighted purring voice of hers. That tone of "ooh, I am _so _going to crush you."

"Err..."

And Tifa begins to approach him, arms crossed, that predatory smile on her face...And oh crap she's raising one of her arms...

WHACK!

Before Dyme can even blink, she's hit his head (rather hard too, that meanie) and it _huuurts_...

He looks up, an annoyed frown forming on his face as he rubs his head.

"...You didn't have to hit so hard..." He whines, attempting to do a puppy-face look in hopes that she'll feel guilty and maybe even get him some ice cream...

Tifa doesn't even bat an eye, and just pokes his forehead, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Well, how else will the message get through your dense head?" She says, her smile never faltering as she drives her finger further in. "Idiiioot. Cloud's my brother as much as he is yours. We'll look for him...(here she pushes especially hard)..._together_. Got it?"

Dyme doesn't even nod. As soon as she lets go, he runs and goes to sulk in his corner about how mean his older sister was, while holding his precious head protectively away from her.

Tifa merely laughs and walks away, whistling.

* * *

Tifa taps her fingers against crossed arms. Despite the fact that she's sitting down, Dyme still can't help but feel intimidated by the _evvill_ aura that's coming out of her. 

"...What do you mean, you don't have any money?" She enunciates her words clearly, almost spitting them out as her eyes bore into his. He can practically feel his pupils going on fire.

Inch away slowly...slowly...

"Well...you see..."

Tifa cuts in, the ice dripping from her voice that it practically flooded the room.

"I'm afraid I don't see. I want an explanation. _Now_."

Dyme jumps at her voice, suddenly straightening up stiffly.

"Hahaha...I mean to tell you last week...well..."

"...Well _what?_"

Quickly, he glances to his side. Would he make it to the door...? As he looks back to Tifa, the answer resounds loudly in his head: **There's no way in hell that'll he get out of this alive.**

He takes a deep breath.

"Iusedmyallowanceandboughtasitar."

He looks at her, hopefully, fearfully, scared to see her reaction.

Nope. Nothing.

A blank face. Like ice.

He can't read it.

"...You bought a sitar." Her voice is level and calm. Dyme feels a small blossom of hope in his stomach start to form. He brightens up, excited as he explains.

"Yeah! You see, I have it all figured out! I'll learn how to play sitar, and then I can become a famous musician and I'll get a lot of money so then we can both leave Radiant Garden and start to look for Cloud and..."

He stops, suddenly noticing the look on Tifa's face.

"...Tifa?" He asks, unsure. Tifa doesn't look up, her face resting on the support on her hand, suddenly looking so tired. With a somewhat guilty cringe, Dyme suddenly remembers how Tifa works hard everyday for the money to support them, how tired she must be everyday. He bites his lip, thinking about his sitar in the room. What had he been thinking?

"You know...I could return it..." He says quietly.

"Do you honestly think that you'll be able to learn and play it well?" Tifa interrupts him before he can say anything else.

Dyme looks down at his hands. Of course he wanted it, of course he thought he would be able to play it, but...

"Keep it."

Dyme looks up, startled, his mouth open as he is about to protest. Tifa, however, merely waves him off.

"When we find Cloud, we'll bug him to pay it off." She says offhandedly.

And she heads to her room.

* * *

"AUGH! Kill it kill it get it away from me!" Dyme screams as he runs towards Tifa, and hides behind her. 

"Dyme?"

He just shakes his head, and pushes Tifa to the kitchen, while making sure to keep her in front of him. Tifa allows herself to be pushed, rolling her eyes.

"What is it _now?_"

Dyme merely just points a shaking finger towards the corner. Tifa tilts her head and narrows her eyes, leaning closer until she can see what he's pointing at.

"...A spider?" She looks back at him, an eyebrow raised. "You're scared of the spider?"

Dyme shrinks back and makes flapping gestures with his hands, a crazed look in his eye.

"...It's big! And scary!" Flap flap goes his arms. "...And it can bite you! And..."

Tifa holds up a hand.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You can stop now," She says, moving to the counter to get a paper towel. Dyme can only watch her movements, grateful.

"I love you, Tifa..."

Tifa doesn't even bother looking at him, waving him off.

"Yeah yeah, I know..." She mutters. She raises the paper towel, about to swoop down on the spider...

"WAIT!"

Tifa turns to Dyme, letting out a frustrated groan.

"What _now?" _She grumbles. Dyme gives a sheepish smile as he pokes his fingers together.

"You don't suppose you could...not kill the spider?" He asks weakly.

Tifa gives a questioning look, arms crossed as she waits.

"Well...I'd feel bad if I killed a creature just for no reason," He elaborates, looking away embarrassedly.

Tifa stares at him.

And stares.

...Silence.

Finally, she just shrugs.

"Whatever. You're a weird kid."

Dyme just smiles.

"Hehe...Thank you!" He chirps.

Tifa turns back to the spider, raising her paper towel when she seems to notice something. Her look becomes curious as peers closer.

"Hey...Is the spider gone?"

Dyme immediately jumps up, and pushes himself onto the counter, looking fearfully at the floor.

"Keep it away from me! Don't let it kill me! _I don't wanna die, get it away __**get it away**_!" He squeals, skirting around back and forth, not noticing Tifa's amused grin.

"Oh look, there it is!" She chirps. "Just kidding..."

* * *

Tifa stares at the hat, the question written on her face. 

Dyme just smiles, inwardly hoping, _please don't ask please don't ask please please pleeeease don't ask..._

"...What's with the hat?"

Well, what luck. She just had to ask. Dyme decides to go with plan B.

"Hmm? Wha-what hat?"

He blinks confusedly while inconspicuously moving towards the door towards his room. He smiles again, hoping to blind Tifa with his happy sweet innocence.

Tifa stares, obviously not fooled.

"The hat on your head." She responds, deadpan, eyes glued towards the thing on his head. He inches back even more.

"I don't have a ha-hat on my head." Dyme claims.

Inch inch. Almost there...

Dyme glances at his (non-existent) watch in what he hoped was realistic-looking surprise.

"Oh look at the time! I should really be practicing my sitar, b—ACK!"

YANK!

Before he even had time to react, Tifa has walked to him and has pulled off his hat.

...Failure. (Damn, can't even sneak away properly...)

With a cringe he looks up, a shellshocked expression on Tifa's face. Oh boy was she going to kill him now...

"Hehehe...Yeah...I was tired of my long hair because people kept confusing me with you..." When Tifa's expression doesn't change, he adds, "...Please don't kill me?"

Quiet...

Quiet...

Still quiet...

It's only when Tifa starts to make weird choking noise does Dyme deem it safe to open his eyes...

...to find her laughing.

Hysterically.

So hard that she's bending over, clutching her stomach as tears stream down her face.

Dyme reels back defensively, his hands protectively going to his precious haircut.

"Hey...! It's not funny!" He whines, almost wishing that she was yelling at him instead. This only spurs Tifa on, now roaring loudly as she holds onto the couch for support.

"You...You got..." She's barely able to get out her words between her laughs, wheezing and coughing. "You got...a..._mohawk!"_

And with that last screech, she's lost completely, flopping onto the couch.

Even as Dyme grumpily enters his room, he can still hear her laughter.

* * *

Tifa kicks the body on the bed, unforgiving. 

"Dyme. Time for school." She kicks again at the lump. "Get up."

The body turns over, revealing the brown-haired boy burying his head in his pillow.

"I dun waaannnaaa..."

Kick.

"Get up. First day of school. You don't want to be late."

Dyme merely wiggles further into the pile of blankets and pillows known as his bed, his voice barely audible.

"I don't have any frieeendss...People don't like meee...Life suuucks..."

Tifa's voice cuts through his complaints, cold.

"I don't care, get up."

After a while, when no movement occurs, she realizes that she'll have to switch tactics. She lets out a fake sigh as she moves to the stairway, her voice taking on a sad quality as she calls down the steps.

"Sorry Yuffie, Dyme can't walk to school with you because he's--"

Dyme shoots up, his eyes fully alert and awake.

"I'M UP! I'M UP! Don't leave without..." He stops, noticing Tifa against the wall, smirking. He growls, narrowing his eyes. "That was cruel...very cruel..."

Tifa shrugs.

"It worked, didn't it?"

* * *

**It happened so fast that he can't remember how it happened.**

* * *

Darkness. 

All he could see was darkness, surrounding him, surrounding Tifa...they were trapped. Caught, with no way out.

Back to back, he takes hold of Tifa's hand, asking for reassurance as he squeezes it.

"Tifa...we're go-going to find Cloud..._right?_"

His voice is too shaky, too scared, overflowing and cracked.

"Yeah...Of course."

But he can hear it in her reply, her thoughts, her fears: **We aren't to get out of this alive.**

The black, yellow-eyed creatures approach them slowly, twitching as if savoring their fear. With each movement they make, Dyme can hear his heart beat faster and faster, until it's like a steady pulsing of nothing...

And then the creatures jump.

"_TIFA, RUN!"_

...Who?

...Was that his voice?

He can't feel anything. He doesn't feel anything as he pushes Tifa out of the way, and yells at her to run, leave him behind, just _get the hell out of here! _

He doesn't feel anything as she disappears from his sight...

He doesn't feel anything as his sight disappears...

He doesn't feel anything at all...

Darkness overtakes him.

(..._It's like water, almost. Drowning him slowly...)_

* * *

_Tifa...?_

Light?

Darkness?

Or both?

_...I want to live._

* * *

AN: Hahaha...ha...ha...Yeah, it was much easier writing the happy scenes. I just hope my attempt to create a realistic pre-Nobody Demyx was decent... 

By the way, I (sorta) got a forum! So please check it out on my profile and participate, if you don't mind. :D

* * *


End file.
